The Auburn football team is gearing up for one of the biggest games of the season this weekend, despite the team’s record this season. Although the Tigers are not fighting for an SEC title or championship status, they are fighting in their own right to turn this season around and get a big win for interim head coach Cadillac Williams.
As the last night home game left this season, it will be a big one in terms of recruit coming to visit the Plains. Multiple guys, including James Smith, Tony Mitchell, and Lamar Seymore will be on campus this weekend, in addition to a recently de-committed prospect.
4-star safety Jamel Johnson originally committed to the Longhorns in November of last year, but re-opened his recruitment earlier this week. According to 247 Sports, contenders for the safety include Ole Miss, TCU, and Auburn. Johnson visited the Rebs for their matchup against Kentucky, was on TCU’s campus last weekend, and is in the process of planning an official visit with Auburn football sometime in December.
Ranked as the #19 safety in the recruiting class of 2023, Johnson is the #49 recruit out of the state of Texas. Although he plans to sign with a program in December, he will not enroll early. Currently, it seems that Ole Miss is leading the race for Johnson, but Auburn’s pitch of early playing time certainly has weight with the safety, per Auburn Live:
"“They say I’m versatile and they need me there,” Johnson said. “They have a hunger to win and want to bring great players in. You can play early there and turn Auburn around.”"
With early signing day in December, getting Johnson on campus as soon as possible will increase the Tigers’ chances of securing the 4-star safety, but they’ll definitely have to fend off Lane Kiffin and the Rebs.